Windmill Uses and Maintenance

Uses

Wind driven pumps can be used to pump water from shallow or deep bores into tanks, dams or irrigation channels. They can be used to pump from rivers, dams, channels, swamps or from tank to tank. They are used mainly in Australia for pumping stock water, domestic water and small irrigation systems. Swamp drainage is a common use in some areas. Because of their relatively low hourly output it is usually necessary to pump into some type of storage - such as a tank or dam.

Because of the number of variables in windmill operation it is difficult to tabulate with any real accuracy, performance figures. The tables shown under each of the Varcoe windmill models show the theoretical quantities of water pumped by windmills using standard available pumps at 30 and 120 strokes per minute. An allowance of 10% should be made for pump efficiency, depth of bore and other variable factors.

Maintenance Of Varcoe Mill

These mills require very little regular maintenance and this can be carried out with the minimum of equipment - e.g. hammer, pipe wrench, shifting spanner. Oil level should be checked at six monthly intervals, but this will be found to very seldom need adjustment. Top up or refill with SAE90 Gear Oil. The mill should be greased at the same time, or more often in coastal areas.

Maintenance Manual

Please download your copy of our Maintenance and Construction manual here.

Windmill Design

Sizes

The Varcoe mill to suit your application can be chosen from the following range:
Direct Drive Oil Bath and Junior in 6 and 7 ft.
Geared drive in 6, 7 and 8 ft.
Towers 15ft (4.6Mt) high to any height in 5ft (1.5Mt) increments.
All heads and towers are interchangeable to give a large number of options.
Adapter fittings are available to allow Varcoe heads to be fitted to almost any other make of existing tower.

Towers

All towers are of four post design giving plenty of room at the pump head. Good access is provided to the head for maintenance and inspection. All parts are heavily galvanized angle iron. The design of the tower makes the Varcoe mill very easy to erect with the minimum of equipment.

Fan Wheels

The Varcoe 6, 7 and 8ft fans are assembled onto a fully welded and galvanized steel frame giving it rigidity and very good balance. The fan is bolted to the shaft by means of a spigoted flange making assembly easy and accurate, and the fan can not work loose on the shaft as the boss is shrunk on. The fan for the 10ft model is modular, comprising six segments, bolted to the shaft by means of a spigoted flange, making assembly easy and accurate.

Governing And Control

The well designed turntable and large tail provide very sensitive control, ensuring that the mill faces into the wind even in very light breezes. The 'In and Out' gear mechanism is very light, smooth and efficient, making control easy, either by hand or float. No chains are used. The mill and fan is so designed that its self-governing characteristics give the mill excellent protection even in very high winds.